


Two matchmakers and a Christmas party

by Nerdqueenofthepumpkins



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Armin and Hange are besties, Fluff, Gen, Gift Fic, Jean and Marco are roommates, Jearmin - Freeform, M/M, i think, so are the Shiganshina trio and the Titan trio
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-05
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-10 23:51:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5605708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdqueenofthepumpkins/pseuds/Nerdqueenofthepumpkins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I don't get it, you finally had a date with the girl you've been in love with since freshman year, you got a special raise for the holidays and you're still not happy? Jean, what's going on?" </p>
<p>In which Jean and Armin are falling for each other but are too shy to do something about it, Marco and Hange play matchmaker and there's a Christmas dinner with twelve college students involving a Secret Santa.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The supposedly best day of Jean Kirstein's life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kkoraki](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=kkoraki).



> This is a gift fic for Tumblr user kkoraki. Sorry I'm late for Christmas, but Happy New Year.

Jean woke up to something between snow and rain falling from the light grey clouds. He had a good feeling about that day. He quickly showered and sat at the breakfast table with a generous plate of eggs and bacon, humming while eating.

"My, my, what's getting you in such a good mood?" Marco yawned when he joined him.

"The holidays are coming." Jean shrugged, his mouth full.

"In a week and a half." His roommate answered with a smile, sleepily chewing on a toast. "You're sure it has nothing to do with a friend of us? One who might become more than a friend for you?"

"No...?"

"I heard Eren groaning and complaining about Mikasa having a date with a horse." Marco was apparently too tired to wiggle his eyebrows at him, instead he looked genuinely happy for his friend.

"Eren said what?!" Wait, scratch that, he looked on the edge of rolling his eyes. Marco shook his head and asked:

"So, where are you taking her?"

"Just to the movies, maybe to a restaurant afterwards. Nothing fancy."

"Good, good. So on Friday, December 3rd, Jean Kirstein will officially manage to take Mikasa Ackerman on a date."

"Yep. Best Friday of all times."

"Wait, Jean. If today is Friday, and Mr. Smith isn't on vacation yet, then why are you eating breakfast with me? Don't you have a class to attend, Casanova?"

Jean got up so fast his chair fell. That day might have been a huge day for his sentimental life, but he still needed his degree and money to pay rent, which meant he at least needed to attend his first Econ classes and work on the afternoon. He also didn't want to face Mr. Smith's cold glare, this man looked like he some kind of high ranked military officer fully capable of eliminating him if he wasn't disciplined enough.

"Try not to be too nervous and mess things up!" Marco exclaimed when he was about to pass the door.

 

Jean didn't start stressing until he went to the tea house where he was working. He still had two hours before the date when the enormity of what was about to happen hit him like a wall of bricks. He did not have the right to fuck up. He was so nervous he almost tripped on a client with a plate of pastries in hand.

"Jean, you need to calm down." Armin said with a kind smile when he saw him. "What has you so worked up?"

"Tonight's the date night..." Jean answered, sitting down.

"Oh! Okay." The blond sat next to him and told him: "There is no need to freak out. If Mikasa likes you, then screwing up won't matter. Just be yourself. She's the one who asked you, after all, that means she is opened to new relationships, you have all your chances."

He patted his shoulder and went back to work. Jean silently thanked the gods for people like Armin and Marco, so full of sunshine and so helpful, the only ones able to handle his regular meltdowns and all the rough attitude that came with it. Armin especially, because they've only known each other for four years max and he had been extremely patient and kind to him since the very first day. He smiled fondly and took the next plates, feeling a little bit calmer.

When his shift was over, Jean looked at Armin's direction, who gave him a small nod of encouragement. Full of newfound determination, he went for the door, but was stopped by his boss, who caught him by the collar.

"It's only 6:30, where are you going?" Levi scowled, letting him go.

"I exchanged shifts with Armin." Jean explained, hoping he would only get away with a glare.

"Hmm. I need you tomorrow for the Christmas trees, so don't be late."

"Yes sir."

He stood there for a second, until Levi rolled his eyes:

"Why are you still here? Go on!" Jean sprinted out, barely hearing the "Tch" his boss gave him. He directly went to Mikasa's apartment and checked his watch.

"Just in time." He sighed, knocking on the door. "Tonight will be a great night."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, sorry I'm late! Let's say it's a New Year present. I hope you like the story so far. 
> 
> To anyone and everyone reading this, this is my first published SNK fic, please tell me what's wrong so I can fix it. Thanks for reading! Also, special thanks to my friend Kat, who proofread this. Seriously, you're the best.


	2. On that day, Armin Arlert received a grim reminder...

...That having feelings for a friend who themselves had a crush on your pretty roommate was truly awful. He couldn't even try to have hard feelings for Mikasa, the probabilities of Jean being straight were much higher than for him to like boys. He couldn't feel perfectly well either. Sure, he agreed to take Jean's shift and to help Mikasa dress up, he even calmed Eren down, but it didn't mean it sat well with him. Whatever, there wasn't much he could do about it, and Armin did the best he could so his friends would have a nice date. That involved leaving the tea house an hour later, the moon was already up and he had probably missed the documentary he wanted to watch with Hanji that day.

"Hey, Armin! I thought you'd never come!" She said, leaning on the doorway when he finally showed up. "I saved the documentary for next week."

"Good evening, Hanji." Armin smiled. "And thanks."

He took off his shoes and nearly sank into the comfortable couch. Hanji sat next to him with two mugs of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies.

"Are you okay?" She asked. "You look gloomy."

"Yeah, I'm just tired." He murmured, taking a sip. "Thank goodness the winter break is coming."

"You know you can tell me if something's upsetting you." She nudged him with a small smile.

"Really, it's nothing important." Armin said, shaking his head.

Hanji shrugged and turned on the TV, but spent the whole time trying to coax information out of Armin. He didn't really mind, she probably was the only person he felt completely free with. Maybe because technically, Dr. Zoë Hange only was his microbiology teacher and couldn't hold things against him like his roommates could, or maybe because she was so strangely easy to talk to with her own weirdness and her older sibling warmth. Finally, Armin confessed:

"Jean is currently on a date with Mikasa, that's why I was late today, I covered his shift. I should be happy for him, I guess, he's been lingering for her for at least two years."

"But you're jealous." She guessed. "Or, rather, you wished it was you."

"How do you know?" The blond exclaimed, surprised.

"You come here after your shift at the tea house, remember? I always know it if Jean did something peculiar or funny thanks to you, no need for a major in psychology to see you really like him."

"Yeah, I do... But I have no chances of dating him anyway." Armin sighed.

"And why is that?" Hanji asked with a cheeky smile.

"I'm a nerd who hangs out with his microbiology teacher to watch documentaries on Discovery Channel and Phineas and Ferb on Fridays." The student explained. "I've been doing this for so long I can find pretty much anything in your flat!"

"Aww, I thought I was cool..." The teacher exclaimed dramatically.

"Y-you are cool, Hanji!" Armin sputtered. "You're unique and kickass, but I'm just... Plain old me."

"Armin, you're nice, smart, cute and funny in your own way." Hange nudged him again. "If that's what's bothering you, you are very dateable."

"Plus, what are the chances for him to like boys? He had a crush on Mikasa, a _girl_ , for ages! He can't be gay!"

"You don't have to be gay to like boys." She bemused.

"Yes, I know, but..."

She gave him a daring look and suddenly Armin had no idea what to say. Hanji had a victorious smile and gave him another cookie. They stayed together for some more time before he added:

"I'm worried about Mikasa and her relationships with Eren and Jean too..."

"Why?"

"Well, she called to say yes two weeks after Jean asked her out, and only after Eren angered her for some stupid reason." He said. "You should have seen her glare, it was like she was saying "if you're not nice with me, I'll hang out with someone who behaves with me properly". I thought Eren was about to have an apoplexy attack."

"Hmm..." Hanji stroked her chin pensively. "You think Mikasa went out with Jean to make Eren jealous?"

"Doesn't seem like something she would do, and Eren will probably be too pissed to realize what she's doing. I just hope she doesn't suddenly dump Jean if things get better with Eren."

"She could?"

"She will."

"And you will be left to pick up the pieces..."

"Yeah, I- Hanji! You can't have me looking forward to my friends' breakup!"

She laughed and booped his nose, saying that she was only being practical. It still really was a dick move for him, and she pulled him into a friendly hug.

"You're adorable, you know that?" Hanji chuckled. "And your moral rigor shows that you are most definitely boyfriend material, so cheer up! Did your boss at the tea house steal all your happiness?"

"Oh, speaking of which, are you working tomorrow morning?" Armin asked. "We're supposed to make the tea house more Christmas-y and we can use all the help we can get."

"I'll see if I can drop by around 10. But it's already the third day of Christmas, why isn't it decorated yet?"

"Connie would say it's because Levi is a grumpy anti-Christmas spirit old man. The owner of the coffee shop next to the tea house dropped by two days ago and kind of mocked him for his lack of festivity. We thought Levi would kick his ass but instead he bought a few trees and all the Christmas lights he could find."

"Oh, I'm in then. You just don't come and mock rivals for their lack of holidays spirit."

Hanji looked almost scary with that determined glint in her eyes, but Armin didn't care much and rest his head on her knees. He felt at peace like that, Hange passing her fingers through his hair like she was letting a cat and watching a documentary interesting enough for him to forget about Jean and his beautiful eyes, his cool piercings and his adorable dorkiness. For a moment at least, until Hanji brought him back home just before eleven. Armin fell asleep thinking that maybe the date didn't go all that well when he spotted Mikasa sleeping on the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to put this title. I had to. For the relationships, I have a very strong headcanon that in whatever universe they're in, Hange and Armin would be close friends anyway. Hange might have tried to build something from Phineas and Ferb once, just so you know. Also if you ship Eremika, this will be one of the rare times it will be more than lightly hinted, sorry. If you don't ship Eremika, this can be taken platonically, if you squint. 
> 
> Again, comments are much appreciated.


	3. Results of the supposedly best day of Jean's life

On Saturday morning, Marco plopped down next to Jean on the couch with a cup of coffee for each one of them. He patiently waited for his friend to wake up properly before asking:

"So, how did it go? You were asleep when I came back."

"It was okay." Jean yawned. "We watched a romcom, then we went for curly fries and I drove her back home. Oh, and she kissed my cheek before I left."

"Nice!" Marco cheered. "Why do you look so gloomy, then?"

"Levi wants us to clean the tea house and decorate it for Christmas, I have to give up my whole Saturday." He groaned. "If you're not busy, your help is welcomed."

"Sure, I'll come when I'm done with my chemistry homework." The freckled boy nodded with a smile.

"You'll take forever to finish the homework!" Jean protested.

"Okay, okay!" Marco laughed. "I'll come by 9:30, promise."

Jean's phone chimed and he jumped off the couch. Armin had just texted him to remind him that Levi, along with Petra, Connie, Nanaba and he were waiting for the last employee. Jean nearly directly jumped out of the window to save time. Once again, he thanked the gods for the existence of Armin. If it wasn't for him, Levi might have already chewed his head off.

* * *

After moving every table, chairs, sofas and small objects outside, Levi's employees proceeded in dusting every surface, moping the floor and cleaning the windows. Of course, the tea house was already pretty clean, but after an hour and a half of intense winter cleaning, it was spotless. Marco arrived just as they were finishing, he ended up making warm drinks for everyone when they took a break.

"Long live Marco and his tea!" Connie sighed.

Just as they were about to go back to work, the door opened and a hurricane of a person came in with the winter wind.

"Oh, it's warm in here!" They beamed, taking their coat off. "Hi Armin!"

"Hanji, you came!" Armin exclaimed, happily surprised. "Here, let me take this for you."

They threw their arms around the blond boy and kissed the top of his head, saying that of course they came, they couldn't leave their favorite blondie all alone after all. Jean felt a little pang in his chest, although he was very much aware it was unjustified. If Armin wanted to date that strange and older person, then so be it, it was none of his business.

"What's up with all that noise?" Levi groaned, coming out of the depot with the first Christmas decorations, Nanaba close behind.

"Holy shit, Hange is that you?!" She exclaimed, dropping the boxes she was carrying.

"Nana! Long time no see!" And Hanji gave Jean the best example of real life tackle-hug he would ever see. Nanaba would have probably fallen if she wasn't so strong, instead she backed up a little and hugged back.

"Sorry Levi." Armin said, scratching the back of his head. "This is Dr. Hange, I'm in her microbiology class, she came to help. Actually, they came to help, their gender is up to you."

"I see you're getting real friendly with your teachers." Levi answered, deadpan as ever.

Armin turned bright red, but Nanaba came to his rescue, explaining that Hanji was like that with anyone who stayed close enough to her. He quickly did the presentations – Jean could swear there was a glint in the professor's eyes when Armin said his name – and they got back to work. Levi paired his workforce and divided the tasks, hoping to finish decorating early. Petra and he were taking care of the outside, with a sleigh, bells, reindeers and Christmas lights everywhere, while Connie and Jean were setting up a Christmas tree, Armin and Marco decorated the tables, the walls and the counter, and Nanaba and Hanji were setting up the other tree.

After some time, Levi came in to fetch some more garlands and realized his couples might have been less effective than he thought. Jean and Connie were actually working, but Armin and Marco were happily chatting while doing their job, and Nanaba and Hanji probably would have been more productive if they weren't catching up.

"I need someone outside to put the decorations on the facade." Levi ordered. "One of you tall people, come out and help me."

Hanji darted outside, Petra joined Nanaba, and Connie, who was tired of putting garlands on the pine tree, went with Marco. That was a bad idea, since Armin was shorter than him and couldn't help with reaching the top of the tree to put the angel there.

"Where the hell did Levi get these decorations?" Jean wondered. "They're so fancy, like, like..."

"Colored frozen soap bubbles?" Armin offered, handing him a red one.

"Exactly. If one of these falls, it'll probably cost more than my salary."

Armin chuckled, the sound made Jean's heart flutter. They continued working with some comfortable chatter here and there, until Hanji barged in, requesting their ladder.

"Thank you boys!" She laughed, running off.

"Well that's great." Armin groaned after her.

"How do we put on the decorations up there now?!" Jean called after her.

"Just let Armin climb on your shoulders!" Hanji answered like it was obvious. Jean felt his cheeks heat up and Armin turned strawberry red. "Come on, get on with it! Use the chair there."

And so the blond ended up on his knees, on the punk's shoulders. He was heavier than Jean expected, but at least he wasn't as heavy as Connie. Also, just thinking about Armin that close to him made his heart pound way too loudly in his chest, and he was not ready for the implications that came with his heart's shenanigans. Meanwhile, the boy seemed very professional, except maybe for a faint blush on his cheek – he was so cute, it should be illegal to be that cute – and regularly asked for whatever decoration he needed or Jean's ideas for the colors. Finally, Jean gave him the topper and Armin was done.

"Okay, now how do I get down without breaking my face?" The latter asked.

"Oh come on, I'm not that tall." The other protested. "If it were Bertolt, you'd be in troubles."

"If I try to slide down your back, you'll catch me, right?"

"Of course!" Jean had an almost cocky smile.

Armin carefully got his knee down, slid until he felt the other boy catch the back of his knees and stayed like that for a moment, took a deep breath and jump down.

"You okay?"

"Yeah..." He muttered. "Last time I did something like this I fell and broke my glasses."

"You wear glasses?"

"Contacts now, they're easier to manage."

_Well that's a shame_ , Jean thought. _I'm sure you'd look even cuter with glasses_. Armin blushed lightly and sputtered a thanks.

"Oh god, I said that out loud, didn't I?" Jean groaned. "Sorry."

"It's okay!" He answered quickly. "Um... Should we tell Levi we're done?"

Jean nodded, fighting back the blush creeping up his cheeks again. Outside, Levi and Hange were bickering to say the least, he looked profusely annoyed and she was apparently having a lot of fun up on the ladder.

"Hold it still!" She said, nailing a bouquet of Christmas flowers. "Just a second..."

She hung upside down to fetch another nail, having Levi yell:

"Hange what the fuck?! I swear to all things holy if you fall and break that big nose of yours, I will sue you!"

"Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?" She laughed, sitting back up.

"I don't give a damn! Stop being so reckless!"

"Hum, sir?" Jean piped up. "We're done."

Levi left the ladder to Armin and checked the tree. Apparently, he was quite satisfied, because he told his two workers they could go home and gave them what he called a "holiday bonus". Jean stared at the 300 dollars check in disbelief while Armin carefully put it in his wallet.

* * *

Later that day, when Marco finally came home, Jean was lying on the floor in front of the couch, listening to old Fall Out Boy songs and absently eating Maltesers.

"Woah, Jean!" Marco exclaimed. "Why is your emo attire out?"

"Mmh? I'm just thinking..." The punk muttered. "Don't worry."

"I don't get it, you finally had a date with the girl you've been in love with since freshman year, you got a special raise for the holidays and you're still not happy? Jean, what's going on?"

Jean sat up sighing, and said:

"Marco, I think I'm screwed."

"And how is that?"

"I might have a crush on Armin." Marco chuckled, then had an honest to god laughter, he laughed so much he cried and Jean didn't know what to think.

"What?!" He asked, annoyed by his friend's amusement.

"Oh god, Jean you are funny!" Marco managed to catch his breath. "Of course you have a crush on Armin! But that doesn't mean you're screwed. That means you have all your chances, you're not falling for someone who already has their heart taken."

Jean realized Marco was right, as always. Now, he just had to make the best of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand Marco ships it. Once again, for relationships, if you like LeviHan, I am truly sorry but this might be the only time they interact. 
> 
> Please, comment tell me what you think!


	4. Happy holidays to your loved ones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's going home for the holidays? Not these kids, nope.

Eren arrived in the kitchen on Monday morning with a scowl so deep Armin was worried he would get wrinkles at age 22. He was still radiating anger when Mikasa dared to ask:

"What's going on?"

"I am not going to Shiganshina for Christmas, that's what!" Eren spat. "Dad was a huge asshole again and I am not visiting for the holidays!"

Armin and Mikasa exchanged a look. It was too early to try and reason with him, and if his stubborn mind was already set, they wouldn't come back home either. Armin's grandfather had died the year before and Mikasa would never leave Eren alone. If any of them showed up at the Jaeger's like nothing happened, Carla would think Eren was in the hospital or something like that.

"I write the cards and you take care of wrapping the presents?" Armin asked quietly.

"Yes." Mikasa nodded. "I'll try to convince him to get something for his father."

 

Turns out, Mikasa and Armin weren't the only ones stuck far away from home. It was that time when everyone claimed their Christmas plans and asked around. Marco, who was in Armin's chemistry class, said that his parents were on a cruise on the Caribbean to flee the cold, Jean decided to stay with him since he had already visited his mother for Thanksgiving, Christa apparently didn't feel like facing her step-family, Ymir was still kicked out of her house, both Sasha and Connie had forgotten to book their flights early and were now too broke to travel. Eren ran to their lunch table to say he wasn't the only idiot around and that Reiner and Berthold refused to go back to their hometown and Annie was apparently dead to her father.

"It doesn't change the fact that we will have to celebrate Christmas alone and won't have all the high class products we can only afford during the holidays." Mikasa groaned. Their relationship was not improving, Armin noted before saying:

"Maybe we can ask our friends if they want to celebrate with us."

"What, all twelve of us?" Eren asked.

"Well, officially none of us have plans, and it should be fun." The blond answered. "We already consider each other as a college family. Do you have anything against it?"

Mikasa lifted a brow in case Eren decided to be a buzzkill again, but he only shrugged and Armin had a silent sigh of relief.

"Who makes the group chat?" The girl asked.

"I do!" The brunet exclaimed, pulling out his phone.

"Make Marco an admin while you're at it." The blond added. "He's good at organizing this kind of things."

"On it!'

* * *

When Armin arrived in his microbiology class, Hanji gave him a "we need to talk" look, and he knew there was no escaping that one.

"So, how did the decorating go?" She asked with a shit-eating grin.

"You didn't need the ladder, did you?" He groaned, sitting in front of her desk.

"Nah, but it was fun, pissing Levi off and having you guys that close. How did it go?"

"Nothing happened and I almost fell trying to get down."

"Ah, that's a shame... Maybe next time with mistletoe..." Armin rolled his eyes, although he was secretly glad she was so invested in his sentimental life.

"Oh, by the way, are they together or not?" Hanji asked.

"Mikasa and Jean? No, they decided to remain friends." Armin answered.

"She broke it off?"

"Not really, Jean called Saturday evening and they talked for some time, apparently they both agreed that they're better off as friends."

"He's the one who called? That's great news!" She was basically cheering at that point. "And don't try to be pessimistic again."

"Fine." He said. "What about you, how did it go?"

"Great! I got to annoy the living shit out of your boss and I talked with Nana."

Nanaba and Hanji went to high school together, then the blonde left to study abroad and only came back six months before. What she didn't tell him was the fact that she met another friend of Armin, and Marco seemed as interested in his friends' relationship as Hanji was. They decided to keep each other updated on their little idiot's feelings and to make plans to get them together.

"You're still coming Friday, right?" Hanji asked out of nowhere.

"I'll be there for 8:30, we're planning a big Christmas dinner and the first meeting is on the afternoon. What about you, what are you doing for the holidays?"

"I'm going to California! I'm fleeing the cold and I'll say hi to my family there!"

"Nice." Armin said with a smile. "Oh, now that I think about it, we won't make a potato recipes exchange this year."

"Check your mailbox on the 23rd." Hanji winked. "And prepare whipping cream. And about Jean..."

"Oh come on!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hum... Not quite sure about the ending...


	5. Help me organize, help me organize, help me out

Armin was right, Marco was exceptional at organizing this kind of things. The next Friday, all twelve of the young adults were meeting in Annie, Reiner and Berthold's apartment. The roommates had to sit some of them on the floor, there was a battle between Jean and Eren to know who would get the last spot on the couch; Marco and Armin had to drag them away individually.

"Well at least we know we can't spend Christmas here." Christa sighed.

"Maybe we can do it at yours?" Ymir proposed. "You basically live in a castle."

"I don't – I just have a large living room." The short blonde muttered. "I'll lend my flat, but I don't have a Christmas tree. I have a big table though, with a dozen chairs."

"That would be perfect." Marco said with a thankful smile. "Who has a tree?"

"Oh! We do!" Connie exclaimed.

"We even have a bunch of garlands!" Sasha added. "Setting it up can't take much time, can it now?"

Jean, Armin and Connie exchanged a glance. She had no idea.

"Shotgun I'm doing something else!" Jean quickly stated.

"Okay, so we have a place, a tree and a table." Armin said. "We need food, drinks, movies maybe?"

"You want to Netflix and chill on Christmas Eve?" Ymir inquired, wiggling her eyebrows.

"We're supposed to stay awake until midnight, you want to play Monopoly instead?"

"Point taken."

"What about the presents?" Mikasa asked.

"Yeah, we can't bring a present for everyone." Reiner nodded.

"Let's do a Secret Santa!" Eren proposed. "And a sleepover so we can open the presents in the morning!"

"Works for me." Annie agreed. "But everyone has to bring their blankets and pillows."

Everyone followed, Marco took a sheet of paper and proceeded in getting everyone a giver and a receiver. It started with Mikasa, who got Sasha and hid her satisfaction very well, then Annie, Berthold, Jean, Connie, Ymir, etc. Finally, Armin picked up one of the last papers, one with _Mikasa_ neatly written on it. He discreetly tugged at Eren's sleeve and exchanged papers with him. If he could get his family members to actually talk to one another instead of rabid biting and barking, well he would have gotten himself the best Christmas present ever. Plus Eren would have had troubles finding a good present for... _Jean_.

Armin stared at the paper in disbelief. He couldn't give it back, his sanity depended on it, and Eren would most definitely get Jean something terrible, a horse mask at best. He could practically hear Hanji cackling at the odd.

* * *

Jean picked his paper and read _Armin_ written in Christa's very readable handwriting. He glanced at Marco, who barely repressed an amused smile.

"Let's not make the gifts extra expensive, okay?" Berthold proposed. "We're probably eating luxury products, right?"

"The people buying foie gras and smoked salmon can get boxes of Ferrero Rocher, for example." Armin added.

"Do we really need foie gras?" Reiner asked.

The Shiganshina trio, Sasha, Connie and Christa shot him a warning look. Christmas and New Year's Eve were the only days of the year they could eat foie gras without looking like rich douchebags, they would not let it slide.

"Okay, okay." The strong blond understood. "Who takes care of it?"

"I'll do it, but I'll need someone who knows what they're doing to help me." Jean said.

"I'll help." Armin replied. "What about the salmon? Don't worry Reiner, I don't think anyone here is rich enough to afford a can of caviar or oysters."

"I'm taking care of the salmon." Eren answered.

"I'll get the meat!" Sasha exclaimed. "A big turkey, or maybe a goose? I wonder if beef could work too..."

"We're twelve, one turkey won't be enough, especially with you two around." Annie remarked, pointing at Connie and Sasha.

"I'll get ham." The boy decided.

"I'm doing the vegetables, I’ll drop by when you’re doing the meat." Marco said.

"Armin, you'll help me with the mashed potatoes?" Mikasa asked.

"Sure!"

"Annie and I will get the booze." Reiner said. "Champagne, wine, Cereser for the kiddos..."

"I can decide by myself if I'll buy the alcohol or not, thank you very much." Annie groaned.

"Oh come on Annie, you're the best there is to find good wine! You can't leave us with the wrong rosé if we eat beef!"

"Fine, I'll go. But you're paying for the champagne."

"And now, we're only missing the deserts." Marco stated.

"Oh, Bertl can do this huge ass plum pudding!" Reiner exclaimed.

"And I can bring mince pie." Ymir added.

"That's great, thank you guys!" Marco sighed. "Armin, do we have all of the food settled?"

"Yes."

"Perfect, meeting dismissed!"

Annie looked more than happy to get 9 young adults out of her apartment **.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so halfway into making the menu for the fic, which happened to be while I was eating my Christmas dinner past midnight, I remembered they were not in France and that they didn't eat extra expensive things like foie gras and caviar. Oops. Let's say Shiganshina is located in Louisiana, where they might eat the same thing as French people for Christmas. Once again, comments and feedback are much appreciated, tell me what you think!


	6. Marco and Hanji, matchmakers Inc.

Jean was the first one to seize Marco for help. Suddenly he had no idea what to get Armin, his three years’ experience of birthday and Christmas gifts going out the window. Marco and he were barely ten meters away from Berthold's apartment when the freckled boy asked with a kind smile:

"What's wrong? You have that "I'm in so much troubles" look on your face again."

"If I tell you this, can you promise me not to coo at me or roll your eyes?"

Marco frowned and inquired: "Is it that bad?"

"It's just that..." Jean inhaled sharply and continued. "I have Armin as my secret Santa and I need your help."

"I guessed it from your crestfallen face." His friend chuckled. "It's simple, get him a book."

Okay, Marco didn't roll his eyes. Of course getting Armin a book was the obvious and simple solution.

"Yeah, but... I don't know..."

"A book is probably the best thing you could get him, try a Jules Verne or an Asimov. Why are you so fidgety?"

"It's just that I wanted to give him something special, you know?"

"Oh. Oh! Aww, Jean!" He stopped in the middle of the street and gave him a pat on the back, a large grin plastered on his face.

"You said you wouldn't coo!" Jean protested, walking faster.

"First, I'm not cooing, and second, I never agreed to your terms." Marco replied, catching up with him.

"Will you help me or not?"

"Sure thing, I'll quiz him."

 

The next time he had lab chemistry, Armin plopped next to Marco, looking conflicted. The brunet had a feeling the blond was as restless as his roommate concerning love problems. Hange did say he was "falling from a 10 stories building for Jean." He seemed about to ask something and changed his mind multiple times, until Marco inquired:

"What's up Armin?"

"Not much... Can you help me with a gift? I got Jean for the Secret Santa thing."

The freckled boy barely repressed a "what are the odds" and said:

"I didn't tell you this, but Jean has a thing for old bands from the 80's."

"Thanks." The blond sighed. "I'll go to a multimedia store Wednesday then."

"You want me to go with you?"

Armin looked at Marco like he was an angel who fell straight from the sky.

"I'll take that as a yes." He chuckled.

* * *

Meanwhile, or maybe some time later, Hanji received someone they were not expecting but were very happy to see.

"There's a guy named Jean Kirstein who wants to see you." Moblit had say, and Hanji had put their instant noodles down immediately.

"Come in!" They called.

Jean was just as Hanji remembered, relatively punk with his undercut and his pierced ears. He didn't wear nail polish – thanks the universe for that, but had most of the rebellious teen's classic attire, down to the leather jacket and the overused sneakers. Armin and he would just make the cutest mismatched couple of all times, Hange thought fondly.

"Hi, I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Jean said, entering the professor's office.

"Just my lunch, but that's not important." Hanji answered with a smile. "Please, have a seat."

"Thanks Dr. Hange."

"My, you're so polite, you're one of the rare students who call me Doctor." They chuckled. "Or maybe you still aren't sure whether to use Miss or Mister."

"Actually, I still don't know what pronouns to use for you." Jean confessed.

"Either works, really. My birth name is Zoë, if that helps."

"Is that why Armin uses she?"

"No, actually he decided to use feminine pronouns when he officially adopted me as his older sister."

"I didn't know you were that close."

"Yup! And this is why I tend to check on the people who might like him or not."

Jean saw that glint in Hanji's eyes again and was now sure she was a force to be reckoned with. Something told him he did not have the right to fuck up with anything or anyone she loved, he would regret it deeply.

"But don't worry!" She said, grinning again. "You passed the tests with flying colors, and I definitely approve of your feelings for Armin."

"Wha- how did you know?!" He exclaimed, turning bright red.

"I'm an excellent judge of character." She answered with a mischievous smile. "Now I don't think you came all the way from the Economy department just to ask for my approval, so what is it you wanted to ask me?"

"Oh, yeah, I need advice."

Jean quickly explained the situation and blatantly asked Hanji if she could come with him to a bookshop, preferably during the following week.

"Sure thing, let me check my agenda." The professor answered, checking with Marco.

"I'll pick you up on Wednesday after class, yeah?"

"My last class ends at 4:30, is that okay with you?"

"Works for me, see you there." Hanji waited for Jean to leave to call Marco. She counted 20 seconds, then rang and murmured in the telephone handle like some kind of secret agent from a cheap spy movie:

"Marco, Operation Doves is go!"

"Roger that." He laughed.

"There's a multimedia shop on 5th Street next to an ice rink, maybe we can improvise a date."

"Oh, I like the way you think!" She beamed. "Send me the address and time."

"You got it."

Hanji was really starting to like Marco, she would have fist bumped him if they were in the same room. Maybe they could get their friends together for Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit long, sorry. I have a feeling that if Marco hadn't died so early and joined the Scouting Legion/worked with the Scouting Legion later on, he would have gotten along really well with Hange. They have the same intensity of belief in their ideals, actual morality for Marco and science for Hange. They have the same kind of light in their eyes.


	7. Get in Santa Elves, we're going shopping

Armin and Marco were the first ones to arrive, and the multimedia shop was awfully crowded in the holiday season. It reduced the chances of meeting up with Hanji and Jean by accident and Marco wasn't sure if it was a good thing yet. He almost lost Armin, who didn't know the huge shop and let himself get carried away by the crowd. Jean finding himself in Kurt Cobain's house with the singer alive and sipping tea would look just as bewildered and delighted as Armin at the time. Marco quickly understood why: there were books everywhere, for anyone, along with hundreds of movies and TV series, and different types of musical media, from numerical to good old cassette tapes, plus a coffee shop and a Subway, all that dispensed on three floors. The guy basically found out a book haven three bus stops away from his flat.

"Marco, can I live here?" Armin asked at some point.

"That'll be problematic for your studies, and your roommates might not appreciate." Marco answered with a comprehensive smile.

"True..." The blond nodded. He turned around and his eyes widened even more. "No way! Is this an extensive encyclopedia of spiders?"

"Please tell me you're not going to read this." The brunet sighed.

"Of course not, but Hanji will! I'll be back in a moment!" And Armin was off.

Marco took the opportunity to contact Hange and look for a present for Connie, whose name he had picked in the Secret Santa jar. A cooking book seemed like a good idea, something with new age recipes involved.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jean and Hanji were at the shop's threshold.

"Holy moly!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening by the second. "This place is HUGE!"

"You didn't know it?" He asked, surprised.

"A friend recommended it." She grinned, yanking his arm to run in. "Come on, let's go find a present for Armin!"

The place was huge, yes, but with so much people Hanji didn't have the space to run and flail around enough for her comfort.

"Do you have any idea what to look for?" She asked, giving up on sliding down the aisles like at the college's library.

"Marco advised a science fiction book." Jean shrugged. "I thought maybe comics."

"Armin isn't much of a superhero geek." Hanji remarked. "Not that he wouldn't like it, he would read any fictional story."

"No, I was thinking those high class comics." He explained.

"You mean graphic novels?"

"Yeah, these."

"Okay, let's see what they have here."

They walked around to find the comics, manga and graphic novels aisles. Jean almost skipped to the music side but Hange caught him by the collar just before he could ruined her plans: she had just spotted Armin's camel jumper and locked eye with Marco.

"They have vinyl records!" Jean protested.

"And we have ten days before Christmas, the big novels will be gone in a flash." Hanji replied, pushing him forward. "Vamos!"

They finally reached the comics and Jean nearly fell on his knees. If there were as much books on the process of globalization in the college's library as the number of issues of Spider-Man there, he would have graduated in no time. He detached himself from the comics to follow Hanji, who was bouncing in front of a bunch of books.

"These are graphic adaptations of fantasy novels." The professor explained.

"Is there an Artemis Fowls here?" The student asked. "I saw him read the whole series in two weeks."

"Mmh... I don't see any... Let's check over here."

Something caught Jean's attention, a drawing kit with a sketch pad, multiple pencils and tutorial pages. Armin used to draw, just like he was still writing now and then, the first three semesters. He gave up when classes got heavier and his financial situation started to require more of his time. Lately, his organization was good enough for him to doodle while watching TV lazily.

"Hange, what do you think?" Jean called.

"Oh! Nice!" Hanji smiled, handing him the basket. "There's one with a skin palette too."

"Well you've got something for him."

"You still want to give him a graphic novel?"

"Yup."

They strolled around a bit more, and found the perfect gift the comics and the drawing pads. Once again, Jean had tugged Hanji's sleeve - she must be nearly blind, he thought multiple times - and she had had a wicked grin, putting the last item on that row in their basket.

* * *

Armin and Marco were less effective. In fact, they were drowning under the choice of hardcore rock bands' CDs, classics in cassette tapes and the must haves in vinyl records. They were both sitting on the floor with records scattered around them like children, unsure of what to choose.

"You know what you'll get him?" Armin asked after some time. "Maybe that will help me?" 

"I doubt I'll be useful, I took kitchen mitts." Marco answered. "He keeps burning himself because he "accidentally" trashed the previous silicone mitts and we never bought new ones."

"Why do I feel like the mitts caught fire and he threw them away before watering them?"

"Probably because that's what happened. Now, how do silicone kitchen mitts catch fire, that is the question." Armin had a chuckle and looked out the window. His face lightened up with a large, almost childish smile.

"Marco, it's snowing!" He murmured. "And there's an ice rink!"

"Hang on, let me see!"

Marco hadn't seen the snow in ages and was just as excited as Armin. They quickly rearranged the records and ran out, snow being sprinkled over their hair and beanies. Marco stayed behind a few moments when Armin got on the ice, looking extremely happy, to make sure Hange and he would be coordinated.

* * *

Armin and Marco weren't the only one to spot snowflakes. Both Jean and Hanji had turned into hyperactive puppies at the sight of crystallized water. They checked out quickly, put the presents in the professor's car and enjoyed the falling snow like the children they were not so long ago. At least for Jean, he wasn't sure yet for Hange's age.

"Jean, Jean look at that!" She exclaimed, stars in her eyes. "There's an ice rink! Come on, let's go!"

"Hey, slow down!" He replied, feeling more and more like the oldest responsible adult.

She was on the ice less than five minutes later, Jean lost her in a blink of an eye. It was cold, he suddenly realized, and he started skating faster to warm himself up. He skated a few lapses without looking, until he ran into someone and fell.

"Ow!"

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry! Jean?!" It was Armin, looking incredibly sorry and a tad surprised to see Jean here. "What are you doing here?" He asked, helping him up.

"I was looking for a gift for my mother." Jean answered, praying for Hange not to appear out of nowhere. "What about you?"

"Marco wanted my help to find something for Connie." Armin replied. "I lost him on the ring."

"Yeah, my guide got lost too."

Hange wasn't lost, oh no. She had found Marco and they were silently checking how their surprise date was going. From where they stood, it was going pretty well, Armin and Jean were talking, laughing and holding on to each other while skating although they could stand up properly without help. Operation Doves was going perfectly well. She finally got to high five him, almost breaking his hand in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of got inspired by the Fnac at Saint-Lazar in Paris for the multimedia store. The place is huge, it's like a mall for books and music.


	8. Let it snow

Jean and Armin stopped skating just before the sun went down. They spotted their guides chatting on a bench near the ice rink, drinking hot chocolate.

"You didn't tell me you came here with Hanji." Armin said.

"Um, oh yeah, I forgot..." Jean answered, trying to control the tone of his voice. "My mother wants to know more about biology, I thought Dr. Hange might help."

"Hum." The blond nodded, almost voicing his incredulity.

"Jean!" Marco called. "Hanji offered to drive us home, what do you think?"

"I sure hope she does." Jean shrugged.

"Hey, Armin!" The professor waved. "What's up?"

"Nothing much, I got you a present." He answered.

"Me too!" Hange exclaimed. "Give me mine and I'll give you yours."

"I'll ship it for Christmas morning, wait a few days."

"Wise choice. Maybe I can convince you to give me my present on the ride home, what do you think?"

"You can always try."

The drive was peaceful, or at least as peaceful as a ride in Hanji's little Terios could be: they felt every bump of the road but they were chatting the whole time, Armin did not give Hange her present, she, Jean and Marco danced and sang along to Starstrukk with Armin laughing in the background. To put it in a nutshell, it wasn't peaceful at all, but it was fun. Hanji eventually stopped her car in front of Jean and Marco's building.

"Jean, wait!" Armin called, getting out of the car. "When are we buying the foie gras?"

"Is next Wednesday okay for you? We can meet up at the organic market."

"Yes. Do you think we can drop by the media store again?"

Marco's head whipped around as he gave Armin a warning look.

"You can't get enough of that place, huh?" Jean smiled. "Sure, we'll go."

"Thanks!"

  
On Wednesday, Eren and Mikasa needed to go to the market too and drove Armin there. Annie and Reiner were also there, and Jean showed up with Marco. The latter managed to take Armin aside before his roommate could see him.

"It's risky, you know?" He whispered. "To directly ask him for advice. Jean isn't stupid."

"I'll be careful, don't worry." The blond answered. "I won't use Eren's patented Gift For A Cousin excuse."

"If you say so." Marco smiled.

"By the way, does he own a vinyl record player?"

"His mother is sending him one for Christmas, why?"

Armin only had a smile and walked towards Jean. Sasha and Connie arrived at that moment, delighted by the snow like the kids around the market were already making snowmen. While Jean and Armin were inside a specialized shop looking for a duck's fancy liver, Eren started a friendly fight by throwing a snowball at Reiner's head. Laughing, the blond took Sasha and Marco with him and threw a ball towards Connie. Quickly, snowballs and laughter were flying, even Mikasa had a wolffish grin on when she attacked Sasha. Annie was the only one calmly leaning against a tree, and when Connie asked why she wasn't having fun with them, she answered:

"I don't feel like behaving like a baby."

And she walked away. Eren and Reiner exchanged a mischievous look and Marco knew they were about to do something stupid.

"Guys don't do it!" He warned.

Of course, they didn't listen. Reiner stopped Annie and Eren put some snow he had gathered in her back. She turned around, looking absolutely furious, flipped a laughing Eren over and round kicked a grinning Reiner so well he fell on his butt.

"Oh my god." Marco groaned.

Annie shrugged the snow off her back, gathered some of it and started throwing snowballs like an automatic rifle.

"Oh shit! Run!" Sasha exclaimed, darting away.

The blonde kept firing and the organized battle turned into mayhem. When Armin and Jean came out of the store, chatting and laughing, a lost snow ball hit the blond right in the face.

"Sorry!" Eren yelled. "Are you o-"

Both of the shoppers threw a snowball at his head, cutting him.

"Why, you!"

And Eren attacked Jean, Armin barely had the time to take the bag of foie gras to Marco's car. 

* * *

 After almost an hour of playing in the snow, Armin and Jean arrived completely drenched at the multimedia store.

"You said you wanted my help." The latter reminded when they were inside.

"Yes! Follow me!"

Armin pulled Jean by the wrist and lead him to the music section. Jean's heart fluttered a bit at that, Armin's fingers were still cold, even if he was warm enough to put his scarf and coat in their basket. He wanted to warm them, he took his hand and intertwined his fingers with Armin's. The blond blushed lightly, but they had already reached the classic rock aisle.

"Hem, you like this kind of music, right?" He asked, not letting go of Jean's hand. "According to Marco, you're kind of an expert."

"Yeah, these were the best years of rock and roll." The punk nodded. "You want to get someone a present?"

"Actually, Grisha likes to talk about these bands and his young years and I am getting curious." The other lied. "I think his favorite band was AC/DC."

"Mr. Jaeger liked AC/DC?" Jean wondered.

"Where do you think Eren got the thunder in his body?" Armin joked. "Shall we?"

Jean was way more organized than Marco when it came to finding music. He searched through the shelves, showed a few records saying they were good to start since they were quite soft. Armin chuckled and said there was no need to try and protect his ears, he had been riding in his car after all. Jean couldn't help but agree and went back to searching, sometimes putting CDs in what he called the "listening towers" and put the headphones between the two of them. He was talking a lot, explaining genres and periods of music and giving random facts about bands, his eyes were lighting up and he randomly smiled more than once. Armin dutifully noted every time Jean said "that one's my personal favorite". He said it a lot, but Armin quickly understood there was a scale of personal favorites, and after a very long time he was sure of which record to choose.

"This is Angel, by Aerosmith." Jean had said, playing a tune. "Permanent Vacation was one of the first albums my dad made me listen to, but my dog ate the CD."

"I know that song!"

Jean had nodded, singing along. Something told Armin there was way more to his affection for this album than first times stories. They left the store soon after that, the blond saying he had forgotten his wallet in Marco's car and that he would come back later. They went to a McDonalds and ate while Jean walked Armin back home. When they reached his apartment, he said, quite fidgety:

"That was nice. We could do this again some time, I mean if you want..."

"I'd love to." Armin replied, unable to repress his smile. "Thanks again for you help."

"No problem. I, I gotta go, see you at Christa's?"

"Yeah."

Jean left and Armin entered his flat, wondering if maybe he should have pushed his luck and invited his friend inside. Meanwhile, Jean was wondering how to avoid Marco's frustrated groaning when he would tell him technically went on a (platonic) date with Armin and nothing happened.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus: Marco only rolled his eyes, Hanji didn't take it as well as he did. By the way, this happened on the 22nd or 23rd, I'm not sure.


	9. Deck the halls and fill up your plate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's get this party started!

Around five in the afternoon, Christa opened her door to Ymir, then to Sasha and Connie with the meat and a Christmas tree that was far from small. After Christa guided her guests through the stairs with the tree, Sasha and she started decorating it while Connie put the goose in the oven and the ham in the fridge. Marco showed half an hour later with enough vegetables to feed half of the building's kids. He said Jean had to stop to buy bread and that he was on his way. Then it was Eren and his clique, Mikasa and Armin carrying boxes of potatoes cooked in water and in milk. Finally, Berthold knocked at the door with Reiner yelling "Here comes the refreshments!" and Annie rolling her eyes in the background. Marco put on Christmas carols and started cooking his veggies, like Mikasa and Armin with their potatoes. Ymir and Reiner were moving the table to the living room, almost breaking a few flower pots in the process. Since they were done with the tree, Sasha decided to play photographer and Christa laid the table.

Meanwhile, Eren, Connie, Jean, Annie and Berthold were playing dominos. They changed the game when Eren started to mercilessly block Jean, accidentally letting Annie win in the process. Instead, they started playing Rich Man Poor Man and were joined by Armin and Mikasa. The game turned into a competition to see who between Connie and Eren would stop ending as the poor man.

"Dinner's ready!" Christa called at 7:30 after changing into a light pink dress.

"Hang on, let's make a group picture!" Sasha chimed. "For our families! Everyone, in front of the tree!"

After much groaning, pleading and bickering, she managed to take a good Christmas card picture. In front, Christa and Armin were smiling in their casual-chic attire, Connie and Sasha were posing like rock stars. On the second row, Annie was glaring at Reiner, probably because he managed to force her into wearing a red fuzzy jumper over her white dressing shirt, while Mikasa gave the camera a small smile and Jean and Marco were grinning in their tacky sweaters. On the last row, Ymir was giving her parents the finger and kissing Christa's hand, Eren was looking fondly at Mikasa and Armin, Reiner was grinning at Annie, an arm wrapped around Berthold's shoulders, and the last giant waved at the camera.

"Can we eat now?" Connie asked, sitting down. "I'm starving!"

"Wait, somebody has to say Grace!" Eren exclaimed.

"You do it, since you're so eager to be religious." Jean replied.

"I'll do it, if you want me to." Christa said with a smile. "Our father in Heaven..."

"Bless this food and who made it, it looks delicious, amen." Ymir finished. "And happy birthday. Okay now, dig in!"

The plates were soon filled with smoked salmon, butter and foie gras. While Armin was teaching the newbies how to eat the fancy food, Marco was reminding his friends to eat salad, vegetables were valuable with all the carbs they were about to eat.

"I feel like a huge douchebag." Jean laughed before eating what he bought. "Holy shit! Wow!"

"It's worth the feeling, isn't it?" Sasha beamed.

"Anyone else wants white wine?" Annie asked, filling up Mikasa's glass.

"Over here!" Connie called.

"Dude, you're light as a feather, don't you want to wait for the champagne before getting drunk?" Ymir joked.

"Just give him the wine, we'll see afterwards." Sasha said.

Annie shrugged and gave him half of a glass. They shouldn't have done that, he was tipsy by the time Berthold and Mikasa came back with the goose and the mashed potatoes. Marco and Christa were carrying the vegetables and the other plate of potatoes, Ymir arrived with the ham.

"Wazzat?" Connie asked.

"Hanji's recipe?" Eren inquired.

"Yeah, it's called a gratin dauphinois." Armin nodded.

"If it's as good as last year's potatoes, I'm taking half of the plate." His roommate decided.

"Don't worry Sasha, we made another one just for you." Mikasa assured, passing the full plates.

"Where's the champagne?" Connie asked.

"Oh no, I'll give you a sip in my glass." Marco decided. "You'll knock yourself out before dessert if you're not careful."

"Have Cereser instead." Christa offered. "And eat before you try anything else."

"Just eat." Sasha ordered, her mouth full. "Oh my god, whoever invented this meal has my eternal blessings. Mikasa, you were serious when you talked about a special one for me, right?"

"It's in our freezer." Armin smiled. "But I'm sure there will be leftovers anyway."

"Eat the mashed potatoes with the ham, it's very good too." Marco advised.

Annie stopped the music and searched for a radio that wasn't broadcasting Christmas carols or what she called bland pop music. She settled for rap and R&B station. After a few songs, halfway into the dinner, Jean was about to change the station when Hotline Bling came on.

"No wait!" Reiner belted. "Wait for Berthold to come back."

His roommate was in the kitchen to fetch a pitcher of water. He darted back into the living room with the first "You used to call me on my cellphone", dancing. He put the pitcher on the table and did every single move as if it was the most natural thing to do, from the pepperoni serving to the call me gesture. Annie, Ymir, Eren and more surprisingly Mikasa rapped the whole song, the tallest girl singing with all the right faces, making Connie, Armin and Christa laugh until they cried.

"Please tell me someone videotaped this..." Jean whispered.

"Of course." Sasha grinned, showing her phone.

"Now you can change the station." Reiner said when the song was done and Berthold sat back down like nothing happened.

Of course, Jean put on something between death metal and light pop. They had the time to finish eating before another interesting song came on. Suddenly Reiner and Jean were singing and playing imaginary instruments to Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) like teenagers. They were joined by the Shiganshina trio when the radio broadcasted Thunderstruck - Armin wasn't lying when he said Grisha like AC/DC. While the mullet rock fans were having fun, Christa was looking for a movie that wasn't It's A Beautiful Life to watch before eating desert. They did spend two hours talking, laughing, singing and eating, they were a bit too full to eat the pudding and mince pie.

"Let's see what you have here..." Ymir said, looking through her DVDs and Blu-Rays. "Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service? Christa?"

"What? I like Studio Ghibli movies!" The blonde replied. "Let's watch one of these."

"Let's not." The brunette shook her head, opening a drawer. "Hang on, I'll find something better."

"You'll only find Sailor Moon and Fruits Basket here." Sasha warned her. "Maybe some Rosario+Vampire if you're lucky."

"This can't be real!" Ymir cried out, astonished. "Christa Lenz is a weeb, pass it on!"

"Hey!" Reiner called. "Don't talk shit about my future wife!"

"Reiner, we've already had this conversation, I'm the one marrying Christa, get over it!"

While Ymir and Reiner were bickering, Armin and Jean found out that except for the anime DVDs, Christa only owned chick flicks, a few Harry Potters, Di Caprio movies and Pirates Of The Caribbean.

"Sorry about that..." Christa mumbled. "My movie collection used to be better, even for the Harry Potter series."

"You have Prisoner of Azkaban, you don't need anything else." Armin smiled, patting her shoulder.

"Who's okay with Harry Potter 3?" Jean called. "Everyone? Good!"

Of course, they had all seen the movie at least once, but it was way funnier when tipsy like Marco or completely gone like Connie. The most intoxicated tried to sing with portrait, the nerdiest whispered every spell with the characters, and the most invested in the movie made sure Christa's neighbors knew that "Marge totally deserved to turn into a balloon", that "Sirius is a fucking drama queen and so is Draco" and that "Snape looks incredible in Neville's grandma's clothes". It was nearly midnight when they finished the movie and their dessert, and while half of the college family was doing the dishes and cleaning the table, the other half was setting up the sleeping area. It was just a bunch of sheets, pillows, blankets and comforters, but it looked like the most comfortable bed in the world to Annie and Berthold, who were exhausted. Marco and Christa didn't even have the energy to remind their friends to keep their hands to themselves, half of them had already crashed anyway.

"Mmh, by the way, it's two past midnight." Eren yawned. "Merry Christmas y'all."

"M'rry Christmas..." Mikasa answered, her voice muffled by her pillow. "Night..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have stuff to say on that chapter. Hanji's recipe is a gratin dauphinois, basically it's sliced potatoes cooked in milk and spices, then in cream. The Hotline Bling incident was inspired by a classmate of mine, he does it fairly well without looking at the video. I'm still impressed. I'll post the last chapter this evening, I'm currently at school and I feel kind of paranoid about my writing.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, how are you all doing? I can't believe I actually finished this for the deadline, even though I'm late for Christmas, it's more like a New Year present. Anywho, this is my first published Attack On Titan fic, please tell me what you think to fix what needs to be fixed.


End file.
